Guests, Staff in Tears as Fairway Hotel Floods

Guests and staff at Fairway Hotel were stranded on Thursday afternoon after a heavy downpour left sections of the hotel compound submerged. The prolonged rainfall caused water to pool in the parking lot and walkways, disrupting movement and bringing normal operations to a standstill.

Images and videos shared online showed people struggling to navigate the flooded premises as the same storm swept through downtown Kampala, inundating arcades, roads and business hubs. Qualicel Bus Terminal, Mutaasa Kafeero Plaza and Ham Shopping Mall were again hit by flooding, with traders racing to drain water from their shops and salvage goods. The scenes revived memories of the November floods that caused damage worth billions of shillings and crippled business across the city.

After that disaster, some traders sued landlords, among them businessman Hamis Kiggundu, seeking compensation. Thursday’s flooding came only hours after Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja announced that victims of last year’s Kampala floods can now access compensation. Residents once more blamed the recurring inundation on poor drainage, saying each bout of heavy rain leaves businesses and motorists counting losses.